Renault F1 engine deficit

[skinny]

i thought that the FOTA agreed that over the winter, Renault were allowed to make modifications to their engine to bring it back up to the power of the other engines on the grid.

i'd always had my suspicions that this was done during the season as soon as briatore (the FIA's new best friend) started crying about it and then the renault started to move quite rapidly towards the front of the grid. blundell seems to think this definitely happened...

http://www.crash.net/motorsport/f1/news/172824-2/b...

so why do they still get to develop their engine?

[LocoBlade]

You'll probably find what they did in the latter half of last season was done under the radar albeit with the other team's agreement, and the announcement now is basically a rubber-stamping of that arrangement in retrospect, so what they'll start next year with is pretty much what they ended last year with. They wouldn't be allowed to catch up then continue developing to gain an advantage.